Hi from SA....

The body changes somewhere around '92 bringing in the bigger windows on
the sides.

My '89 Syncro has the same size windows (I presume) as yours, but only
the RHS back windows opens.

Cheers

Jimmy

>>> Jeffrey R <Oxroad@AOL.COM> 02/07/00 09:07AM >>>
In a message dated 00-02-07 01:53:03 EST, Oxroad writes:

> In a message dated 00-02-06 21:43:13 EST, you write:
>
>  > While in South Africa, I notice the Vanagons, or Transporters, or
>  >  Kombis or whatever they're called there have the sliding windows
in the
> back
>  >  windows too. ...
>  >Can you purchase the sliding windows w/frame for the back windows
here
>  >  in the States and if so, where?

  Harold--
  The windows won't work in US Vanagons because South African Vanagons
are
 Right Hand Drive and therefore when looking out the US driver's side,
or
left
 side, occupants of the vehicle would see what would actually be on
the
 passenger side in a South African Bus.

  Did I have you going for a second? Truth is the current South
African
 Vanagons (Microbus or Caravelle and maybe they've added a new model
this
year)
  have a larger side window than the American Vanagons so SA sliding
side
 windows into a US Vanagon would not be a "simple" addition. The side
windows
 of the SA bus are higher, or more correctly have a greater top to
bottom
 measurement than those in the US. They actually are cut to allow a
lower
sill
 while at least roughly the same distance from the roof on American
buses.

  If you visit the SA VW site you can see the two side windows behind
the
 doors dip lower into the body than the windows that are in the door.
In the
 US the Buses have a even or at least very close to even measurement
from top
 to bottom as do the door windows.

  Having said all that, I don't have first hand experience with the SA
buses.
 I'm going on what James Cohen told me after his trip to SA last year.
But
 photos in a SA brochure I have seem to "confirm" the larger windows.

  BUT here's a question that jsut popped into my head: Do older SA
Vanagons (
 say like the early 80s) have the same size windows as US buses, yet
still
 have sliding rear windows?

  Like you, I thought the windows would be a cool addition. (pun at no
extra
 cost to the consumer)

  Jeff
  83.5 Westy
  NYC